KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Not that there was any doubt remaining after the Kansas City Chiefs’ hot start, but the quarterback hierarchy was on clear display Wednesday inside the team’s locker room.

In the brief break between the morning walkthrough and afternoon practice, rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes laid splayed on the floor, his head resting near a duffle bag, as he scrolled through messages on his phone.

Starter Alex Smith, trailed by a gaggle of reporters, stepped over Mahomes’ legs and stopped in front of his locker a few feet away.

When the Chiefs moved up 17 spots in the first round to draft Mahomes 10th overall in April, it certainly raised questions both in Kansas City and around the NFL about Smith’s job security. The Chiefs, and Smith, quickly squashed any talk of a controversy in 2017.

But given the 13th-year veteran has been nearly flawless in leading perhaps the NFL’s most explosive offense through the first two weeks of the season, Smith is going to put new Kansas City general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid in a difficult position next spring.

Smith’s contract runs through 2018, but the team can cut him after this season with very little financial penalty and move forward with Mahomes, whose gifts were on full display during an impressive preseason. Smith, who is owed a base salary of $14.5 million in 2018, has a $2 million bonus due if he’s on the roster on the third day of the new league year next March.

“The reality is, whether we drafted Pat, I still had to make that decision for them anyway, right? I mean, you either hold up your end or you don't. And if you don't, you're not going to be around,” Smith said Wednesday. “When you're this far along in your career, you've got to go out and prove yourself every year.”

But if Smith is indeed auditioning for the rest of the league, he’s making the most of the opportunity. He’s already thrown five touchdown passes, including four in a Week 1 upset of the New England Patriots. He hasn't been picked off, either, while completing 78% of his passes, which helps equate to a sublime 134.1 passer rating. He’s running read options and scrambling for first downs while also consistently challenging defenses with more downfield throws than he typically attempted in his first four seasons with Kansas City.

It's been more than enough to keep anyone from asking about Mahomes, unless they’re asking him politely to move.

On Sunday, Smith will try to win his 12th consecutive AFC West game, a streak that dates back to early in the 2015 season, when the Chiefs head to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.

“It seems like Alex has handled it as well as it can be handled, both in the media and with his play,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, a first-round pick himself who had to sit behind Drew Brees early in his career, said Wednesday.

“I don’t think there is any question who the quarterback of that team is.”